Antonio de Oliveira Salazar

Antonio de Oliveira Salazar (28 April 1889 – 27 July 1970) was a Portuguese statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968, during the Estado Novo (New State) period, leading a corporatist-authoritarian government. He was also briefly the interim President of Portugal after the death of Oscar Carmona in 1951. His rule was marked by nationalism and conservatism, as well as traditional Catholic values, as stated in one of his sayings, "God, Fatherland, and Family." Although many described him as a Fascist and he was aligned with Francisco Franco's Spain, Salazar remained neutral during World War II and later had Portugal join NATO, the United Nations, as well as other international organizations. Salazar stepped down in 1968 due to poor health and died in 1970, while his Estado Novo government would collapse in 1974, beginning democratic reforms in Portugal.